The present invention relates to a knife intended for spreading such foodstuffs as butter, jam and the like.
The foodstuffs concerned are normally delivered in thin-walled plastic trays, tubs or jar-shaped containers which are sealed with a lid firmly pressed onto the rim of the tray or tub by snap action. In the majority of cases, the tray rim has a U-shaped cross-section and presents a substantially flat abutment surface with which the lid sealingly abuts, and an outer, downwardly extending edge flange which coacts with an edge flange on the lid in a manner to secure the lid in position.
When the lid is removed and the tray is placed on the table, butter is removed from the tray with the aid of a knife, which may be made of metal, wood or plastic. In some cases, there is used a smaller knife which is intended particularly for spreading butter, although there is often used a knife taken from the standard assortment of cutlery. In this latter case, the knife is relatively heavy.
When the butter knife is shared by all seated at the table, the knife is kept in a position which will enable it to be reached by everyone. One method is to insert the knife in an upstanding position in the butter, which is possible when the tray or tub is relatively full, but which becomes impossible when the tray begins to be empty of butter. In this latter case, it is usual to place the knife with the handle resting on the table and the blade resting against the edge of the tray. If the knife is heavy, it tends to tip over the tray.